Jason DeBord's Rock Subculture Journal

Phantogram at Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino | Reno, Nevada | 6/30/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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I usually open my reviews with a quote from the artist, but Phantogram didn’t do too much talking during their set, and when they did their words were mostly lost among adulation from the cheering crowd.  Their live sets are still driven by songs from last year’s Three, which I voted at the #1 album of 2016.  I’ve personally been dying to hear songs off this brilliant album live, as last year each time the duo and their band were playing local, I was traveling elsewhere.  So with their appearance at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino’s Grand Theatre in Reno Friday night, I was not disappointed.  This was actually my favorite concert thus far in 2017.  Phantogram are so amazing right now the rest of the world needs time to catch on. [Read more…]

Jason Mraz & His Superband at Ironstone Amphitheatre | Murphys, California | 6/25/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“Every little thing, is gonna be alright…  We’re just gonna do this for fifteen minutes!”  Jason Mraz & His Superband closing out the first of two sets, channeling a bit of Bob Marley.  Which seemed quite appropriate, given his fun and optimistic “an evening with…” style show at Ironstone Amphitheatre on Sunday night, marking his only Northern California show on this tour.  Early in the first set, he advised the audience, “you are permitted to sing… you are invited to sing… you are practically obliged to sing…”  The audience accepted this challenge and most were up on their feet dancing and singing throughout the night.  Mraz certainly has a distinct outlook on life that he carries with him and that is contagious with his fans (who span all ages, gender, and culture), and I’d have to say it was certainly the most joyful show I’d seen out of dozens at this beautiful venue, and that’s saying a lot.

 

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The Moody Blues at Ironstone Amphitheatre | Murphys, California | 6/18/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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Fans of The Moody Blues got to experience the band like never before on Sunday night at Ironstone Amphitheatre.  Featuring “an evening with…” style concert presentation, The Moody Blues played two full sets in front of the massive crowd in attendance, the first with various hits from their career and the second presenting a track by track playing of every songs from their groundbreaking album, Days of Future Passed, which celebrates it’s 50th anniversary this year.  They looked and sounded great, and there was a lot of magic in the air as they recreated this landmark album live on stage.

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John Mellencamp at Ironstone Amphitheatre | Murphys, California | 6/17/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“Now this next song, I must have been about 25 when I wrote this song…  I don’t even know why I play it anymore other than I know you guys want to hear it, right?”  John Melloncamp on stage at Ironstone Amphitheatre at Ironston Vineyards Saturday night, talking about writing his hit song from the 80s, “Jack and Diane”.  The venue was packed with fans turning out to see their blue collar hero from decades past, though it is a strange kind of incongruity with what inspires the fans still today seems to be more of a thorn in the side of the man who captured their imagination with these songs for which he does not seemingly share the same sentiment himself today.  Regardless, he delivered an impressive set and supporting artists Carlene Carter and Emmylou Harris did the same.

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Boston with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts at Ironstone Amphitheatre | Murphys, California | 6/10/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“Let’s see some hands!” Tommy DeCarlo, vocalist from Boston, getting the massive crowd at Ironstone Amphitheatre in Murphys reaching up to the sky during “Cool The Engines”.  Essentially a double-header with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts performing earlier, it was a stellar night of classic rock spanning the last four or five decades.  The two artists were a great choice to pair up, in that they had great crossover in fans but were also a showcase in contrasting styles and approaches to bringing their music to life on stage.  Joan Jett & The Blackhearts were stripped down to just the instruments they needed to recreate their raw punk rock style as the sun set into the horizon behind the crowd while Boston had a fantastic spaceship themed backdrop across massive monitors that seemed to fuel their hard and progressive rock sounds.  Early on in Richter Entertainment’s Summer Concert Series, this show set a bar for high energy and pure rock and roll for all the artists to follow.

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Midnight Oil at Fox Theater | Oakland, California | 5/27/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“We gotta remember and identify and know that the only thing we gotta fear with the craziness and the madness and some of the very difficult evil things that have happened, is not to be human, is not to be cooperative, not to be looking out for one another, but to be spreading the good stuff everywhere…”  Midnight Oil’s (“the Oils”) Peter Garrett, in his preface to “Put Down That Weapon”, the band’s second single off of their seminal 1987 album, Diesel and Dust.  Some 30 years later, lyrics from the song and the ideas that they invoke seem as poignant as ever.  The band has been mostly off the scene as Midnight Oil since they dissolved in 2002, so with their 2017 reformation and world tour, they have made an unexpected return to much acclaim and excitement.  I was a huge fan of that 1987 album as it blew up in the U.S. at the time, and I had never had a chance to see them perform live until this show at Fox Theater in Oakland on Saturday night.  It was nothing short of incredible, and will certainly rank as one of my favorite gigs of the year.  They are touring a lot in 2017 and crossing back to cities already visited, so I give my highest recommendation to turn out for one of these events…

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Notes & Words 2017: Benefit For UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland (feat. Daveed Diggs) at Fox Theater | Oakland, California | 5/13/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“You never know who you’re saving; you never know what future you’re making possible…”  Kelly Corrigan speaking to a packed Fox Theater in Oakland, with 1,615 people in attendance on Saturday night for the 8th annual Notes & Words: Benefit For UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.  As per their format, entertainment included both writers and musicians on stage.  This year featured musicians Daveed Diggs, The Head and the Heart, and Vocal Rush and writers Michael Lewis, Calvin Trillin, and writer (and event host) Kelly Corrigan.  The Oakland School for the Arts Chamber Choir also performed.  Notes & Words is an annual benefit concert created to support the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland; the Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland provides the highest quality medical care to children throughout California.  An intimate show, it shared many personal stories and perspectives by way of the personalities on stage as well as video presentations offering real context by showcasing some of the patients of the Children’s Hospital.

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KISS at Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino | Reno, Nevada | 4/21/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“Are you ready?” Paul Stanley of KISS getting the audience prepped to sing along with “Say Yeah”, a song off of their 2009 album Sonic Boom.  24 studio albums (including their four solo albums), live albums and countless other impressions on pop culture at large going back to 1974, KISS have been a rock and roll phenomenon going strong for over four decades.  I am not personally a KISS “fan”, so this is written from the review of someone who has been alive as long as they’ve been together, but never before attended a KISS concert.  They are one of the biggest bands of all time and real icons in rock, so I finally took an opportunity to see what they’ve always been best known for – live concerts.  And now having experienced it, I can say that their reputation for putting on an amazing show is well deserved.  High energy, high production, and filled with many of the innovative elements that other artists have since copied over and over, it was really something to see and hear and feel.  I really could not have been more impressed and I really have a lot of respect for the band and their crew that help put it all together.  If you are a member of the KISS Army, you know all of this; if you are more like me and had never seen the band before, I give my highest recommendations to go and check it out.  And I am glad I was able to take in my first KISS show at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino’s Grand Theatre as it is one of the best concert venues for this type of show.  Everything was top notch.

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Jason DeBord’s Depeche Mode Facebook “Fan Takeover”: April 9th, 2017 (Day 23)

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2017 is a big year for Depeche Mode.  The band has released their 14th studio album, Spirit, and they embarking on their latest world tour this year.  However, DM are doing something really interesting this year – inviting fans to apply for an opportunity to takeover their official Facebook page for one day, with plans to do this for one full year with a different fan featured each day.  Well, I was surprised to learn I was selected to do this, so I thought I would publish this supplemental feature for fans who make their way over to my Rock Subculture website… [Read more…]

Book of Love at DNA Lounge | San Francisco, California | 2/19/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“I guess we just wanna reinforce our message of hope and new beginnings; because anything can happen, hopefully…”  Susan Ottaviano speaking on behalf of her and her bandmates and a full reunion of Book of Love as preface to “Happy Day”, one of the bright and shiny songs off of their self-titled 1986 debut album.  Their music is in stark contrast to a lot of the self-perpetuating negativity permeating our culture today.  The band seemed to have more of an attitude about shaping the future by painting a picture of what they wanted it to be, rather than engaging in conflict.  Maybe they were onto something that might come around again someday?  Optimism is powerful.  And San Francisco turned out for a healthy dose of it Sunday night at a sold out show at the DNA Lounge… to be part of this special concert engagement in which all four members of Book of Love performed together, with not just the original hits but new music too, in celebration of their 30th anniversary last year. [Read more…]